Foreword

 

In 2000 we have been committed by Tono SpA to perform a survey of the structural integrity of the historical building Palazzo Durazzo Bombrini and a valuation of the necessary actions to be taken in order to get the building (Villa) usable for public service. The building, located in Via Muratori in Genova Cornigliano, was that time property of Fintecna SpA (>> http://www.percornigliano.it/eventi-a-villa-bombrini/la-villa/)

>> see coversheet of the survey report

Historical notice

 

Information on the history and the architecture of the Villa are provided by the following web-sites:

>> http://www.percornigliano.it/eventi-a-villa-bombrini/la-villa/ of the current owner, Società per Cornigliano SpA;

>> https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Durazzo_Bombrini

The following notes make reference to the book looked up during the survey commitment:

  • Ferdinando Bonora, Il Palazzo Durazzo Bombrini in Cornigliano, Un’architettura francese a Genova, SAGEP Editrice, 1991 (>>).

The erection of the building started in 1752 based on a design of Pierre Paul de Cotte and commitment form Gabiano’s Marquis, Giacomo Filippo II Durazzo.

As it is widely discussed in the references, this design is essentially based on a central body and two side bodies, erected  around a huge main courtyard (cour d’honneur), in this way reflecting the typical setting up of the French aristocratic residences.

This approach was, however, innovative in the Genoa environment, whose aristocratic buildings were still following the sixteenth century concept.

The erection was definitively completed in 1773, when the site accounting was terminated (on October 30).

In 1778, however, some new works directed by  Andrea Tagliafichi of Genoa took place (the colonnade was added and many rooms were renovated).

Since 1850 the estate changed many times ownership. Initially to the nobleman Filippo Ala Ponzoni of Cremona; then to the Royal Family (since 1865), to the Cavalier Patrone (since 1872), to the Bombrini family, the last private owner (at the end of 800), followed by Ansaldo since 1928, Sidermec (1951), Cornigliano SpA (1952) which in 1961 became Italsider, upon merging with Ilva, up to the current property.

Building description

 

The building has three bodies: the central one, the East side and the West side. It is a four-story building, with ground, mezzanine, first and second floors.

At the survey time, the ground floor was divided into 80 rooms, the mezzanine into 68, the first floor into 27 and the second floor into 38 rooms, for a total of 213 rooms. They were so distributed: 118 in the central body, 45 in the Eastern Wing and 50 in the Western Wing.

Additional compartments are  located in the underground  and in the attic.                                                  

Survey activity

 

The survey activity was based on a careful inspection of all accessible premises and provided a summary paper for each of them, giving a detailed description of what observed, along with the necessary supporting pictures.

The inspection was extended to the underground compartments, the attic and the roof, which was renovated in 1991-1992.

Upon the survey, the costs of the works to be taken in order to get the building usable for public service were estimated and reported to the commitment.